The Opticron Verano – a best seller for some time – has had a further upgrade to an HD version, again well worth the extra few pounds involved. Opticron also have a new ‘scope package on offer : GS665 +HDF eyepiece at £399. This compliments the GS665 ED package at £750 and the HR66ED package at £950.  There are various mixes of eyepieces, cases, and tripods in these packages.

Minox are also putting some effort into marketing with cash backs of £50 on many models and one offer in particular that is exclusive to ourselves – only available in the shop – so please contact for this.

Finally as the end of the year approaches we wish everyone a Happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year.

Our moth night at the end of  August was very successful. As it was quite a cool night we perhaps did not get quite so many in terms of volume but our species total is now up to 309 for the site which makes it one of the leading sites in the county (so I have been told).

New models of binocular arriving are the replacement Hawke Frontier ED and Endurance models and Opticron are introducing a new HD version of the Verano. Both models will run concurrently for some time as the new version is noticeably more expensive than the previous version. Close focus on this range still surprises and is very useful for insect and flower viewing without having bend back or knees!

From Swarovski …for every telescope package sold a free of charge Swarovski tripod can be claimed. This offer was made at the Rutland Birdfair to finish on the 31st August but we have made an arrangement to extend the offer until Saturday 3rd September for our event.

From Leica…..a limited number of 2 year passports  applicable to any of their optical products. We have a limited number of these upgrades so first come first served. The passport offers full accidental damage insurance to Leica optical products. Normally only one year but for two years in this special offer.

We have a special discount running for the month of September on all clothing products of 15%. This applies to Country Innovation, Paramo, and Tilley products from our Willow Shop.

More offers will be posted so keep watching. Some may be just for the day, some for the month and some while stocks last so lots of things to attract your interest.

Our Spetember 3rd event is shaping up to be a good day. Lots of the regular exhibitors and we hope for some new products. Already Swarovski have the Companion 8×30 and 10×30 , although these are in short supply at the moment and Marchwood are introducing their new brand name of Forest Optics. The first models we have are 8×42 and 10×42 ED and at around £350 are really good instruments.

The NEWA art exhibition in Cheshire has now closed after receiving 18000 visitors in the 2 weeks of display. The winner of our prize for 3D art was the carving of a miniature mallard drake by hillip Nelson. A picture of this is attached

Finally our moth  night is  Sunday August 28th. This is by invitation only but we will publish the results and will hopefully add to our site with some new species.

Make a note of the deal on offer from Nikon with the EDG  binoculars.  The instrument  is a top line binocular rivalling the European  brands for quality and performance, and also price!  However the  offer of a free Nikon P300 camera valued at £300 makes this a winning deal . The binoculars are in stock and the camera deal comes from Nikon direct on application.

We recently checked out the wildflower meadow and found to our delight that the marbled white butterflies have over wintered inspite of the extreme cold. Early July at least 12 were sighted so that should turn into a big number later in the month. The usual ringlet, meadow brown et al were present in good numbers. It was good the hear ,amongst the birds foot trefoil which currently covers a large area, alot of bees and grasshoppers. I really must learn more about these. Meadow cranesbill and mallow   stand above the trefoil and several self setting oak trees are begining to show up to 6 or 8 foot high.  In the woodland area these self setters may soon be a problem as they will prevent access to the hedges for cutting.

We have some new special deals on telescopes. Following our successful Opticron GS665ED + HDF zoom + stay on case + tripod for £750 which continues we can also offer the HR66ED with SDLv2 zoom, stay-on case and tripod for £950.

Zeiss have also come forward with a great offer on their ‘scopes. With 65mm body zoom eyepiece and case get a free of charge aluminium Zeiss tripod. With the 85mm body and same package the carbon fibre tripod comes free.

We have now tested more fully the new 50mm Swarovison 10x and 12x versions. They are every bit as good as expected. In low light they are simply amazing! Although expensive at around £2000 they are highly desirable.

We have a private moth trap event during August, the results of which will add to our extensive list as we have not trapped at the time of the year previously.

The next public event at our site is the ‘Product Feature Day’ on Saturday September 3rd. The optical manufacturers will be here to show off their latest instruments . Often items displayed at the Rutland Bird Fair are available for sale for the first time at our event. All are welcome and the event runs from 10am to 4 pm although shop hours are as normal 9am to 5pm. Our site reserve will be open for customers to walk round but bring stoutish foot wear as the grass is only cut ‘long’ so can be a little damp.

An added attraction this year is the RSPB Middleton Lakes Reserve. This lies alongside the hall grounds and stretches towards Kingsbury Waterpark and is due to be officially open in time for the birdfair. For full details look on www.birdwatchers-springfair.co.uk

New products and deals.

Recently stocked is the new Nikon Moarch range of binoculars. These have been updated from the previous range and are a little more expensive….but worth it.

We still have a few deals left from last Autumn :

Buy any Minox HG binocular and get FOC a minox digital compact camera.

Buy a Bushnell Elite and get a FOC Bolle sunglass.

New deal and ongoing to cover the bird fair period any optical spend over £500 will attract a 30% discount on a Country Innovation Buzzard jacked.

The first deals are only while stocks last and there are very few left, the last deal is ongoing for the advertised period.

Remember 21st 22nd May: Middleton Hall, Tamworth.

We also have our own on site event on Saturday 3rd September. More details of this will follow in due course.

Lots of deals going on. Swarovski have a special on all of their telescopes which has reduced the price until the summer. The prices are on the web pages now.

Zeiss have held prices at 2010 levels even with the new VAT rates.

This gives the opportunity to purchase these two brands at levels which will not be seen again.

We have another deal which we are just working on linking a Country Innovation jacket with any optical purchase over a certain amount. Not quite completed the details but we will advertise this in due course.

Periodically we get enquiries from customers seeking a particular make and model of instrument which is no longer readily available or a particular used item. At the moment we just wait on the possible appearance of such an item as a part exchange. However, if you know the items we seek and own such , then it may be possible to join people together to effect a sale to mutual benefit. We would take a commission on the exchange but VAT would not figure on the sale as it would be between two private individuals. At the moment the list is short but if this works then it can expand as needed.

Our very special deal runs until Christmas and so beats the VAT increase and is an incredible free Rover coat (retail £305) with every full size Leica binocular or telescope sale, and a venture waistcoat with every Ultravid compact sale. OK leica bins are not cheap but this deal must make everyone look twice and consider that it is time to buy. This is a golden opportunity to see what’s around and stay warm and dry this winter